Seattle in US to bring one of the Rabindranath Tagore’s finest compositions to the public

Seattle, March 15, 2017: A century after Rabindranath Tagores visit to Seattle in 1916, a South Asian Arts Organisation based in the Washington State area of the US, is bringing one of Tagores finest compositions to the public.

Pratidhwani, a non-profit driven to create and promote performing opportunities for arts and artists of South Asia, has just announced its 10th flagship dance show, “Chitrangada”. It’s the story of a warrior princess from the ancient Hindu epic “Mahabharata” that Tagore retold as a dance drama in 1892.

Tagore is India’s first Nobel Laureate as well as the first non-European to win the prize in Literature. “Chitrangada,” one of his finest compositions, is a lyrical saga of one woman’s quest for love, courage, and the true meaning of beauty. This tribute to the myriad facets of femininity make it as relevant today as it was centuries ago.

Comprising of a group of professionals who have full-time careers and dedicate their late evenings to creating art, Pratidhwani is committed to bringing South Asian performing arts and artists to audiences in the greater Seattle area since 2001.

The lyrical saga has been directed by Moumita Bhattacharya and produced by Nitya Gupta.

“Chitrangada is a lyrical expression on gender stereotypes. And yet, it is a story of love. Of the ability of love to transform and the fact that love needs to embrace and support a person’s raison d’être. This piece of art is a showcase of multiple music genres, dance forms, and costume styles of the Indian subcontinent,” said Bhattacharya.

It will be performed in The Allen Theatre at ACT, 700 Union Street, in downtown Seattle. The production opens on April 28 and runs through May 20. (IANS)

Smoke from wildfires clogged the sky across the U.S. West, blotting out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delaying flights and forcing authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors.

As large cities dealt with unhealthy air for a second summer in a row, experts warned that it could become more common as the American West faces larger and more destructive wildfires because of heat and drought blamed on climate change. Officials also must prioritize resources during the longer firefighting season, so some blazes may be allowed to burn in unpopulated areas.

Seattle’s Space Needle was swathed in haze, and it was impossible to see nearby mountains. Portland, Oregon, residents who were up early saw a blood-red sun shrouded in smoke and huffed their way through another day of polluted air. Portland Public Schools suspended all outdoor sports practices.

Thick smoke in Denver blocked the view of some of Colorado’s famous mountains and prompted an air quality health advisory for the northeastern quarter of the state.

A smoky haze envelopes the skyscrapers and Rocky Mountains that usually can be seen as a backdrop to the city from a high-rise building, Aug. 20, 2018, in Denver. VOA

The smoky pollution, even in Idaho and Colorado, came from wildfires in British Columbia and the Northwest’s Cascade Mountains, clouding a season that many spend outdoors.

Portland resident Zach Simon supervised a group of children in a summer biking camp who paused at a huge water fountain by the Willamette River, where gray, smoky haze obscured a view of Mount Hood.

Simon said he won’t let the kids ride as far or take part in as many running games like tag while the air quality is bad.

“I went biking yesterday, and I really felt it in my lungs, and I was really headachy and like, lethargic,” Simon said Monday. “Today, biking, you can see the whole city in haze and you can’t see the skyline.”

One of Colin Shor’s favorite things about working in the Denver area is the view of the high peaks to the west. But that was all but gone Monday.

“Not being able to see the mountains is kind of disappointing, kind of sad,” he said.

Forest fires are common, but typical Seattle-area weather pushes it out of the way quickly. The latest round of prolonged smoke happened as hot temperatures and high pressure collided, said Andrew Wineke, a spokesman for the state Ecology Department’s air quality program.

It’s a rare occurrence that also happened last year, raising concerns for many locals that it may become normal during wildfire season. Wineke said climate change is expected to contribute to many more fires.

“The trend is clear. You see the number of forest fires increasing, and so there’s going to be wildfires,” Wineke said. “There’s going to be smoke. It’s going to be somewhere.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said airplanes bound for the Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle’s main airport, may be delayed because of low visibility.

A man twirls a young child on a waterfront park as downtown Seattle disappears in a smoky haze behind, Aug. 19, 2018. VOA

In Spokane, air quality slipped into the “hazardous” range. Thick haze hung over Washington’s second-largest city, forcing vehicles to turn on their headlights during the morning commute.
The air quality was so bad that everyone, regardless of physical condition or age, will likely be affected, according to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency.
In California, wind blew smoke from several wildfires into the San Francisco Bay Area, where haze led authorities to issue an air quality advisory through Tuesday. They suggested people avoid driving to limit additional pollutants in the air and advised those with health problems to reduce time outdoors.
Health officials say signs of smoke-related health symptoms include coughing, scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, headaches, stinging eyes and runny nose. Those with heart disease may experience chest pain, irregular heartbeats, shortness of breath and fatigue.
Patients at Denver’s National Jewish Health, a respiratory hospital, were reporting worsening symptoms, hospital spokesman Adam Dormuth said.
In Portland, six tourists from Lincoln, Nebraska, posed for a photo in front of the Willamette River with the usual Mount Hood backdrop shrouded in haze. The group of siblings and friends rented an RV and drove in to visit a sister who recently moved to the area.

“We are disappointed that we can’t see the mountains and the whole city, because our relatives live here and tell us how pretty it is, and we’re missing it,” Bev Harris said. “We’re from tornado alley, and we don’t have wildfires. It’s a different.” VOA